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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 60.49%
Worth A Look: 27.16%
Just Average: 3.09%
Pretty Crappy: 2.47%
Sucks: 6.79%
10 reviews, 102 user ratings
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| 25th Hour |
by John Rice
"A powerful glimpse of freedom and regret."
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This was the most difficult review I have done yet. The problem was, no matter what I said about 25th Hour, it seemed like I was selling it short. Unlike my other two favorite films of 2002, 25th Hour did not hit me instantly. It took two or three viewings and a lot of thought to begin realizing what a truly great film it is. 25th Hour is deceptively complex. At times it is ultra realistic and at other times it is overtly melodramatic, while always being quite somber. It also has several of what I like to refer to as outrageous cinematic moments. Scenes where it almost seems to be screaming “This is a movie.” 25th Hour asks for patience and thoughtfulness from the audience. There are several scenes which may seem offensive, unnecessary or even absurd on the surface, but in the end, absolutely every aspect is finely crafted and beneficial to the complete telling of the story.25th Hour takes place during the 24 hours before former drug dealer Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) will be sent to prison for 7 years. He is unsure if he will survive his sentence and wants to spend these final hours repairing his most important relationships. He reconnects with his two oldest friends (Philip Seymour Hoffman & Barry Pepper) who argue with each other over whether Monty deserves the fate he is facing. He visits his father (Brian Cox) who became an alcoholic after the death of his mother. He wonders if his girlfriend, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson) is the one who turned him in to the DEA. Most of all, he regrets the choices he has made, eventually dreaming of how his life could have been.
In the end, 25th Hour is probably the most profoundly patriotic film I have ever seen. It is not a flag waving, easy type of patriotism, but addresses the responsibilities and personal burden of freedom as Monty realizes it is his own lack of judgment and pursuit of quick rewards which have brought him to this point. It is a bit ironic, but I suppose it would take a vocal critic like filmmaker Spike Lee to make this film what it is.
One of the most impressive aspects of 25th Hour is the cast, which is easily the best of 2002. Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Brian Cox are not big name celebrities, but there are very few film actors who can match their talent. I have had high hopes for Barry Pepper since his charismatic role as a Psalm quoting sniper in Saving Private Ryan and his potential seems to be presenting itself in 25th Hour. Finally is Rosario Dawson as Naturelle. Dawson is hardly a newcomer, but nothing she has done to date has even hinted at this level of dramatic talent. The character of Naturelle is one of the most admirable, complex, imperfect and realistic I have seen in years and Dawson plays her perfectly as she silently suffers the criticism of others, warranted or not. This is the type of low key character who is easy to overlook, but it is this type of character who often makes movies interesting. (This review originally appeared on Slacker-Reviews.com).Difficult and rather ambiguous, but one of the finest films of 2002.
link directly to this review at https://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=6463&reviewer=373
originally posted: 08/05/04 20:27:07
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USA
19-Dec-2002 (R)
UK
N/A
Australia
05-Jun-2003
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